In devices which include a display, a conventional user interface allows a user to interact with the device by selecting areas of the display. For example, icons or tiles may be displayed to allow a user to select different applications. However, to perform a desired action, the user has to make a number of selections in a specific order. The more parameters are required for a particular action, the more input events, for example mouse clicks or taps on a touch screen, are required. As an example, to compose a new email to a contact, a user has to first find the required icon to select the email client, wait for the client to launch, select a new mail composition action, wait for the composition screen to open, and then input a recipient of the message either by selecting a contact from an address book or by typing in the recipient's address.